Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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) w1 z9 }1 Q. `) G' U9 h6 N> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 M  `& u6 N: ^, N* [" a> same choice?
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1 d- R5 j* N0 v8 Z3 ]- T) N& w/ K> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' s4 [* o% q: c. t> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
4 Y6 d8 B7 C2 Y& v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. ^0 `2 r) t5 l1 d$ N/ G0 f> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
- p1 K; e. |8 S4 e. Q> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 a, I% I6 `/ w; k. \9 l2 {* c/ F( y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 h9 U- L1 R2 y, r: b2 n( {  [+ k> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
, b( b& L, M2 b8 b> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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" Q8 b  y& @/ E) {> Then he told the following story:
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6 o% `( W7 }" K6 S1 ?> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
' D* ~$ n$ Z! Q# a9 a> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
0 p6 C& `% X' v* `" _> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' F6 B& ?# z6 K  y! S: w> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& j  ?$ H5 v$ Y2 D' L4 q> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 F5 J9 m) }/ n. E% }> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
8 R! M) F+ z4 y& ^; @& L; Y8 m& K> inning.'
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& a4 i% J7 a* V: t> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
8 \& _" w1 ~. L; F: e4 @) S( t> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
7 T9 j3 P% {' N$ O6 S& w* H> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
* Q# B; {  U& Z  D> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
4 A  P2 k3 i) y/ K; e# x> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
3 y0 ~9 U9 G3 E> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 q, q7 O" J% Y$ h+ P& z> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* ~+ m( s5 [; W) }! b+ X' i> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
& o: D$ T" H' `. b% J) Q2 D" e> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
' \, \  \. A* L' y  p: x> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
3 p4 x% x6 r8 ^1 p! H2 l0 c8 J: q8 R> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
/ X6 u) D' a3 Q  k/ B> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
$ Y3 f8 |; B) h" p4 E& L8 O> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
; z) S2 _& }' q! m> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
# x" ^% P0 ]9 U, ?1 U+ @> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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9 l/ F# @) A4 J5 ~1 I: P0 Q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, d6 h2 n7 Q9 J1 l6 [' X" W> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 L. c% A* o' M0 U: E> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
( `% c. o1 U. B  {* _> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 x; u8 c; h: W* u> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
8 A2 y: `! `/ d# _' }$ }> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% ]6 ^9 g- k+ l0 h5 q- ^+ {$ o> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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) q8 O& ~# G9 a- z1 V. }  b* _> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
/ K/ A% c6 v, `2 {> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
% C5 g. J3 X3 c7 r: y4 y> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' w" f; O1 z8 O1 r' B4 Y> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
& O/ ~4 I0 u3 U: d$ w> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& L0 v% Y9 h& b( T! ^7 g> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; {9 S& }% g( q6 g) Y> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 j  w, V- R! B7 K6 w5 ^4 u% ]> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
5 f+ y. `) C# [. Q. M1 A> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' D/ }% ?! |2 G5 P> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
$ E6 t9 R/ y% x* Y  K> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
$ G9 O* X% z( f" p5 t> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
( @# d8 B  T, L> 2. Forward
>
4 O+ X7 S" a; I/ E' }! O> May your day, be a Shay Day.